BTBP Roundtable: Adjustments Made, More Needed?
By Adam McGee
Dec 5, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks guard
Jose Calderon(3) puts pressure on Milwaukee Bucks guard
O.J. Mayo(3) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
1. After three games, would you stick with O.J. Mayo at point guard for the foreseeable future or does it depend on general point guard health?
Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): I like what Mayo is bringing to the team in terms of a style of facilitating without pressing, but I’d still like to see someone else get a shot at it. I know Mayo has experience of playing there dating back to his youth, and he’s obviously a good passer, but it’s possibly the most nuanced position there is, and I’d like to see someone who’s more experienced in that regard to run with it. There doesn’t need to be flippant decisions, but eventually I’d like Greivis Vasquez to be given an audition.
Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch): Surprisingly enough, I really like point guard O.J. (also known as PGOJ). As much as I whined about the switch when it was first announced, Mayo has acted more and more like a point guard, and the team has looked really good with this current lineup. Here’s a sentence that would’ve made me laugh and/or cry before the season started: the point guard position may be O.J. Mayo’s to lose at this point.
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Jordan Treske (@jtresk26): I think it depends on the health of Vasquez and Bayless, but I can’t argue with the results from what we’ve seen from Mayo at point guard so far. MCW’s role off the bench as a shot creator has mostly worked and the defense has improved greatly since the original lineup change. How long this keeps up though, will be something to watch for, especially if MCW’s performances continue the way they have been.
Aaron Edwards (@Big_Cheez): The veteran presence in the starting lineup seems to be working well so far. Net efficiency is something like +16 for those games. I like Kidd trying to motivate mcw by putting him in the bench unit. At least it’s trying something rather than doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
John Heffernon (@Silky__Johnson): I don’t like Mayo at point guard but I do like the idea of a Mayo-like player at point guard. Mayo’s floor spacing makes the starting lineup so much more potent but he doesn’t have the facilitator/pass first mentality that you need in a point guard. Mayo has been playing the position very well and I think right now he is our best option at point guard.
The Bucks need a pass first, three-and-D point guard for this team (the way it is currently constructed) to be successful. Carter-Williams is definitely a better natural point guard than Mayo but his inability to shoot the ball and stretch the court makes him a liability with the current Bucks starting lineup.
Next: Should JOB work on stretching the floor?